XMen Revolution : The Chain Begins
by wolfgirl013
Summary: When an anti-mutant senator is elected in New York, the X-Men, Brotherhood, and Acolytes are forced to relocate themselves while efforts are taken to protect the mutant population. Warning: OC's. Please tell me if my characters are Mary- Sue's Gary- Stu's
1. Introduction

It all happened so quickly.

Listening to the hard voice of a man known as Kevin. Senator Kevin. He stood erectly behind the podium on which his campaign speech rested, calmly awaiting the silence of the bustling audience that was facing him.

"My good nation," he spoke into the microphone that was attached to the podium. He stood with pride and zealous, not knowing the mistake that he was about to make that would forever change mankind. 

"Our mutant dilemma is soon to be snuffed, because, as the clock tower chimes midnight, a new registration order is to be in progress." The surrounding mass of civilians erupted into an ear-shattering applause, filled with whistling and bellowing voices. 

"The time has come!" The senator hushed the anticipated crowed with a lifting of his two hands, "And soon, our once perfect nation shall be cleansed once again, as the mutant population will cease to exist!" An erosion of cries, screams, laughter and cheering arose from the stadium in which the people were crammed into. The noise elevated to twice as loud as it had been the first time around. The senator continued his speech, exciting the crowd even more than they had already been before. " The time has come for the better and stronger race to wipe out their opponent. The time is now! And may the best race win!"


	2. Chapter One

12:34 am, New York  
  
Clay Silkin didn't know exactly how long he had been captured for. Actually, he didn't know what hour, or day, or even month it was anymore. But it didn't matter. All that matter did was trying to survive. Ha! He would probably have been better off dead, but he knew that that was impossible. He was still needed, and so he shall remain alive. For the time being. He can still remember the day that he was sent to this intolerable place.  
  
You see, about four months ago, Clay was a free American citizen. Eighteen years old, he worked at his father's bar on the outskirts of New York City. Clay's family lived in a quiet town, undisturbed by the bustles and hassles of the outside world. One day Clay brought back a homeless girl names Rhiannon, who was welcomed by his father to sing in their bar. Then, one day, some of Senator Kevin's lackeys who were patrolling the area came into the bar looking for a drink and a bite to eat. Clay was carrying a crate full of wine out to the counter when her tripped and fell, causing himself to duplicate into a mirage. He quickly tried to call it off, but was spotted by a woman who shouted to Kevin's lackeys. Clay's father watched helplessly as both Clay and Rhiannon were taken away and into the "custody" of Senator Kevin.   
  
And here he was: shunned from society, a mutation that has shown since he was three years old, and this difference was the one thing that separated him from the rest of mankind. He was a mutant.   
  
Along with other mutants, twenty-one others to be exact, Clay was being kept in a mutant prison, a jail for differences. One by one, Clay had watched the other mutants enter the building and be locked up like caged animals, an alien species to the human race. Each mutant was clad with a metal collar that would prevent them from using their powers. He used to glance upward through the electrical bars of his cell and watch the stars slowly appear in the night as they shined through the sky light in the cell room. But all that was gone, too.  
  
In addition to Senator Kevin's lackeys, he also had a team of scientists, all of which had an advanced knowledge of genes and genetics. Their job was to find out what factors caused the mutations in people, and of course, the captured mutants were their lab rats.   
  
One day, while Clay was having blood sample's taken of him, he tried to escape by running through an air vent in the wall. Unfortunately, he was caught before he even got the metal guard off of the vent, and as an example of punishment towards the other mutants, Kevin ordered his scientists to insert toxic liquids into Clay's eyes. For the first week or so, the pain was excruciatingly strong, but it slowly subsided, as did Clay's vision, until he went completely blind.  
  
Clay abruptly snapped back into reality. His constant daydreaming was becoming too much of a burden to him. Despondently, he shifted his gaze from his dirty and ragged sneakers to the sky light fifteen feet above the cells in the small concrete room. Even though he could no longer watch as the stars slowly appeared in the night sky, Clay had acquired a 'sixth sense'; he could 'see' almost anything with his mind that a normal human could view with their eyes.   
  
Sighing, Clay's gaze shifted yet again towards the other mutant in the cell- Rhiannon, who was sound asleep on one of the cots that were placed inside of the cells.   
  
"Why hasn't anyone came for us yet?" Clay whispered to himself quietly. Someone, somewhere must care about him and the other mutants that were his friends.   
  
"Why hasn't anyone come yet?" Clay repeated his question louder this time, as if someone were to answer him. But they didn't. Only the never-ending darkness and faint breathing of the other mutants. With one last pensive glance at the sky light over head, Clay headed over to his cot.   
  
SCRRRRRRRP! Clay sprung up from his cot as the low scraping noise penetrated the soundless room. Looking around in the pitch-blackness, Clay noted that some of the other mutants had been aroused by the peculiar sound. As he slowly crept toward the bars on his cell to look upward at the sky light, a young boy, no older than twelve years old, dropped down silently onto the concrete floor below. 


	3. Chapter Two

The young boy, who was wearing what appeared to be a suede vest and pants, high leather boots, gloves, goggles and a belt, crept silently along the edge of the cells, motioning for everyone to stay silent. He approached the metal door at the end of the cell room which served as a barrier between the cells and the main hallway of the base and studied it silently, looking it up and down as if to judge its size and strength. He reached down to the belt that was part of his uniform and removed a small, cylinder-shaped object that was being kept in a pocket. Pressing a small blue button on the end of the metal object, he whispered into the microphone head that was attached to the opposite end of the button. Almost immediately after he put the communicator back in his pocket, the boy was joined by a second figure which had dropped down from the open skylight as well. Both boys looked about the same age, and were now carefully examining the large metal door. After a good five minutes of examining the door, the second boy reached into a pocket that was attached to his belt and pulled out a comb-shaped object. He proceeded to slide the teeth of the comb into the crack between the door and the door frame. As he did so, the comb unfolded a key pad from its handle, with which the boy typed in a code of some sort. The next second, the door opened silently, and the boy returned his door-opener to his pocket. Once again motioning for the mutants to be silent, the first boy left the room with the second tailing closely behind him.  
  
Exchanging silent glances of confusion, the mutant party waited with baited breath for the return of the two young boys. About twenty minutes passed after the boys were last seen and most in the room began to give up hope of being rescued. Finally, Hope Ivring, a sixteen year old girl with the ability to become a dragon, spoke up, "Do you think they were caught by Kevin?" She impatiently spread her dragon-like wings as she waited for an answer.  
  
"I don't know, Hope," nineteen-year-old Jackson Thorne spoke up. Jackson had possessed the ability to knock out a living organism just by thinking about it, and it had worked on a few of Kevin's lackeys before, but he was punished for it afterwards.  
  
"I'm s-s-scared." Came the quiet, whimpering answer of Blaze Charron. Clay sighed to himself. Blaze was a very brave young girl, for , being only seven years of age, she was the step daughter of the senator, and she was still placed in this prison.   
  
"I wonder what-" Clay began but was interrupted by a harsh hissing sound.  
  
"Shhhhhh! If we get caught, it'll be all of our necks! Now shut yer yaps!" A girl of about seventeen had appeared under the open sky light. She was dressed much like the two boys that had appeared earlier, but she had a large circle with a tree embroidered on her suede uniform top. Her short, dark violet colored hair hung about her neck, and although her face held a calm expression, her mud brown eyes darted warily around the room. She was short, no more than 5' 5'', and slouched over slightly. The sound of footsteps penetrated the silence of the room as the two boys entered the room once more.   
  
"You guys done?" The girl inquired the first boy. He held up a ring of keys as a response and placed them into the girl's open hand.   
  
"Good. Report back to base." As almost as if on command, a rope ladder dropped to the floor from the open sky light. The two boys climbed soundlessly upward into the dimly lit night. There was a murmur of voices and, just as quickly as the two boys left, they were replaced by two more girls. The first girl was tall and shapely, and had wavy black hair, which, hung down to her shoulders. On her uniform was a large circle embroidered with four blue waves. The second girl had extremely thick, light brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, not unlike the boy that had opened the large metal door. Not quite as tall as the first girl, she was thinner and less curvy, and had two golden, wavy lines that resembled the blowing of wind. Both girls also looked about seventeen of age. The girl with the unkept black hair nodded to the girl with the keys in her hand, who began unlocking all the cell doors. As she approached Clay's cell, he felt as though he would cry out with joy, but he knew of the consequences and held his tongue. As the mutants were released from their cells, some motioned to hug each other but were stopped by the girl with the black hair. One by one, she motioned them forward towards the ladder, and each, in turn, climbed upward into the dark night that awaited them.  
  
When it came the time for Clay to ascend the ladder, he was yet again warned to be silent by one of his rescuers. Pulling himself up and out of the skylight, he glanced around and noted that he and his mutant companions were atop the roof of the senator's base. Once the three rescuers had hoisted themselves out of the building, they retracted the rope ladder and returned the metal covering over the skylight.   
  
"Is everyone out?" asked a new voice. It appeared to belong to a female, and judging by the tone, she was the leader of the rescue expedition. Sure enough, when everyone's eyes were adjusted to the pale moonlight that bathed the rooftop, the owner of the voice stood proudly against the night sky.  
  
"Affirmative." answered the voice of the black-haired girl, "Wolf, we better get out of here. Parasite and Virus have taken care of the guards, but I don't know how long it will be until they wake up."  
  
"Right. We'd better not risk it. Everyone, follow me." The one who was called Wolf began walking towards the edge of the flat-topped roof. At first, Clay seemed reluctant to follow her, but after all, they were the first humans that they had encountered for months, so he silently followed in her wake. At the end of the roof was a second rope ladder, about four times longer than the first. Wolf began her decent of the rope and was briskly followed by everyone else. Once again, the rope ladder was removed from the building. Clay was observing two of the rescuers placing the ladder in a pack when the Wolf addressed the group of young mutants.  
  
"Now listen closely," her voice was low and tense as she spoke. " We are going to cross the yard," she indicated the well kept lawn that they were standing on. At the edge of the lawn was a large, metal fence, topped with barbed wire, sensory cameras, and motion-automated light. Retracting her hand, Wolf returned her attention back to the group that stood before her.  
  
" If anyone gets caught, we go back for them. No one gets left behind. Now," she watched the mutants intently. Her eyes shone brown in the dim light, " I'm going to cross the yard. When I give the signal, everyone will cross, one by one, through the center of the yard. Cat, Tiger, Poison," she adverted her gaze to the three girls in the back of the group who had assisted in the rescue mission.   
  
"You will each cross in turn. Poison," she spoke to the first girl who had entered the cell room, "You will follow close to the front. Tiger, "she indicated the girl who had the wavy lines on her uniform, "You will follow in the middle of the group, and Cat," she indicated the girl with the black hair, "You will be the very last to cross. Make sure no one is left behind." Wolf added, and began her journey across the lawn.  
  
The venture seemed to last forever, as the whole group waited with baited breath for the clear signal. Finally, Wolf straitened up from her low, crawling position and held up her hand. The girl dubbed Poison Arrow started across the lawn in the same low, crouching fashion that Wolf had crossed in. One by one, the mutants began to follow the girl across the lawn, almost holding their breath for fear of setting off an alarm. Slowly the group had abated until only Cat was the last person on the other side of the lawn. Glancing this way and that, the group patiently waited until Cat had safely crossed to the opposite side.   
  
"Good," Wolf whispered proudly, "Now, Tiger over here must disarm the security system so we can open this door. I want everyone to be as quiet as they can. Got it?"   
  
Everyone nodded their response, heeding the warning that Wolf had gave them. Tiger made her was over to the large metal door that was blocking their only exit. Pressing a miniscule silver button on the door, a keypad opened up with which Tiger began to examine. After a few minutes of staring at the keypad, Tiger pressed a button revealing a side compartment on it. The interior housed a variety of intensely colored wires. Once again, Tiger examined the interior of the keypad before pulling a cluster of wires towards the open compartment. From her pocket, she removed a small pair of scissors, with which she placed around a black wire. The eyes of the onlookers bore into the back of her head as Tiger slowly brought the handles of the scissors together, with the hope of this being the correct wire to cut. As the blades of the scissors clamped down upon the wire, there was a small twang, and then… silence.  
  
"Well, THAT was a relief!" Tiger bellowed at the top of her voice.  
  
"Tiger, shhhh!" came a chorus of whispers, but it was too late; an ear shattering siren had been activated. Red and white lights were flashing everywhere as the automated cameras pivoted in the direction of the group simultaneously. Behind them, came a deep, bellowing voice that could have belonged to no other than Senator Kevin, " They've escaped! Quickly, secure the perimeters! We can't let them leave the grounds!" There was a crash of metal against metal as the doors blocking the only exit gave a huge lurch forward and slowly began to open. They weren't moving fast enough, however, because the front doors of the senator's base burst open to release a stream of armor-clad men, armed with rifles. Anxiously glancing from the door to the men and back to the door, Wolf began to shout out orders at the group.  
  
"Listen up! Tiger, you lead the group to safety once the doors are open. Cat, Poison, we're gonna' stop these men from getting to the group. Do whatever you must!"  
  
By now, the doors were about halfway open, leaving a space just large enough for the mutants to start squeezing through the opening to freedom. Tiger lead, then followed by Jackson, Clay, Rhiannon, Jackson's brother Cody, and so on. Half of the group was through the widening door when the swarm of men had reached the mutants. Wolf, Cat and Poison Arrow stood on-guard, ready to fight for the lives of themselves and the others.   
  
"Open fire on my signal," the man who appeared to be in charge of the swarm announced to the others behind him, " Three, two, one…"   
  
Wolf, Cat and Poison Arrow tightened their guards, waiting for the bullet shots to be fired, waiting for the crash of thunder that announced the firing of the rifles, but it never came. A quick glance behind her told Cat that the doors were now shut tight, and only one small girl was left on their side of the door.  
  
"Drop your weapons, men." came an order from behind the swarm of men. The group parted in half, revealing a tall man in his middle ages with thin black hair. But what shocked the girls about his appearance the most was his cold, blue eyes.   
  
"Take them all back to the cells. Tomorrow, they'll get what the others should have gotten a long time ago….."   
  
"But sir, what about the others?" one officer in the swarm asked.  
  
"…..Leave them to die. They'll never find their way out of these woods before the collapse from starvation." The officer nodded and motioned to three other men, who approached Wolf, Cat, Poison Arrow and the small girl, who was now clinging to Wolf's hand. Cat brought her guard up once again, but Wolf motioned for her to put it down. The girls then had their wrists bound behind them and were lead to the base and into the cell room where they would spend the last few hours of their lives.  
  
Cat was puzzled. Her mind had been working furiously for the past ten minutes, trying to figure out what Wolf had in mind. Cat herself couldn't do anything to escape; Kevin's lackeys had taken away her utility belt that held all of her tools and weapons. Staring at her from her cell that was parallel to hers, Wolf just appeared to sit quietly, her wrists still bound, staring at the cold concrete floor.   
  
'This definitely isn't what Wolf would do,' Cat thought to herself, 'She would never give up this easily, unless….unless she had a plan….' For ten more minutes, Cat stared at Wolf, waiting to put her ingenious plan into action. But Wolf never moved. She didn't even blink. Cat had had enough of this waiting game.  
  
"Wolf! Why haven't you said anything! You don't care if we die or not, do you? DO YOU?!" Cat bellowed at the top of her voice. Slowly, Wolf raised her head to Cat's eye level. Her face was completely emotionless. Then unexpectedly, she broke into a grin, flashing her teeth. Then she began to laugh. At first it was just a chuckle, but it gradually became a full-out maniacal laugh. Suddenly Wolf stopped laughing, and began to stare at the floor once again. Cat had seriously thought that she had gone mad. She was a loose wire and this was her undoing.  
  
"Wolf….you've lost it, girl." Wolf looked up at Cat one last time and pulled her hands out from behind her back. The rope that once bound them was clutched in her right hand. Cat grinned at Wolf, and Wolf grinned back. Poison Arrow also broke out into a smile, as she too was watching the ordeal from her separate cell. Blaze looked dumbstruck as she stared at Wolf from her cell which was diagonal from hers.   
  
"So, did you like my performance?" Wolf asked the other three.  
  
"You definitely had me going their, Wolf." Toadette grinned at her.  
  
"Good," Wolf responded, pulling out a be-be pin from her boot and picked loose the lock on her cell. "Besides," she indicated to Cat, who was beaming at her from her cell which was now being opened, "You didn't really think that this pile of tin they call a base could really hold me? Now let's get out of here!"  
  
Wolf stared and puzzled at the locked room that the four girls were being held in. It was about fifteen to twenty feet to the skylight above them, and guards were stationed all over the base. The bars of the cells were electrical, so they could not be used as climbing devices. On top of all that, their powers could not function under the work of the collars that they were forced to wear, which minimized their chance for escape.  
  
"Well," Wolf announced, shifting her gaze to each girl in turn, "I've studied the facts,..."  
  
"Yes?" the three girls my deepest thoughts,…."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"...and have come to a conclusion!"  
  
"YES?"  
  
"Just get on with it!" Cat yelled.  
  
"…...we are stuck."  
  
"Brilliant work, Sherlock." Poison Arrow sneered.  
  
"If only we had some means of leverage," Wolf thought out loud, "… maybe a ladder...something…"  
  
"A human ladder." Blaze whispered, her voice twinged with a Puerta Rican accent.  
  
"What did you just say?" Cat asked the small girl.  
  
"A human ladder," Blaze repeated herself slightly louder this time.  
  
"That's perfect!" Wolf shouted and snapped her fingers once. "Great idea! Okay, Cat, you're the tallest, so you're on the bottom. I'll go next, then Posion, and you," she indicated to the small girl, "What's your name, sweetie?"  
  
"Blaze Charron."  
  
"Well, Blaze Charron, it's up to you to take off that skylight. Think you can do it?" Wolf inquired.   
  
"I'll try." she answered.  
  
To anyone who'd have entered the cell room of Senator Kevin's base at 2:00 in the morning on Sunday, June 13 would have thought that they were seeing a mirage. Cat stood straight as a board, with Wolf on her shoulders, Poison Arrow on Wolf's shoulders, and Blaze , who was being given a boost up from Poison Arrow into an open skylight. Blaze clambered onto the roof of the senator's base and gave the thumbs-up sign to the three girls below her. Poison Arrow then leapt up through the hole, lay flat on her stomach and reached down to give Wolf a hand up. With Poison Arrow clinging to her left leg, Wolf lowered herself, up side down, into the cell room, grabbed hold of Cat's hands and pulled her up onto the roof. All for girls lay sprawled out on the metal roof top, basked in moonlight, panting with exhaustion.   
  
"Alright," Wolf said after a few moments of resting, "this time, we are going to go around the yard, staying close to the edge of the fence. We're I'm going to cut all the wires in the circuit box. The door should open right away, and the alarms will go off. Poison, I want you to stay with Blaze and bring her back to the base. You two will go through the door first. The Cat will follow, and I'll take up the rear. We don't stop running until we either get to the base of until I'm sure that we're not being followed. Does everyone understand the plan?"  
  
The remaining three girls nodded "yes" as their reply.  
  
"Alright," Wolf continued, "Poison, jump down off the roof and catch Blaze when we lower her down. Immediately head towards the doors, but keep close to the wall. Cat and I will be right behind you." Toadette nodded and approached the edge of the roof. She took a giant leap off the roof and landed on all fours, but soon recovered and gave the thumbs-up sign. Wolf lead Blaze over to the edge of the roof, and as Cat held onto her ankles, Wolf lowered herself and Blaze over the side of the roof. They made it about halfway down the side of the building.  
  
"Alright, I'm going to drop you now. Poison will catch you." Wolf told Blaze, who nodded. Wolf let go and watched as Poison Arrow jumped up into the air and caught Blaze in her arms. Wolf gave the thumbs-up sign to Cat, who let go of her ankles. Wolf rolled forward as she hit the ground and got back up, slightly dazed from the fall. Last of all, Cat bravely dangled her body down the edge of the building and let go, falling to the ground and turning over in midair to land gracefully on her feet.  
  
The girls crossed the yard with no problem and reached the doors within thirty seconds. Pressing the button that revealed the circuit box to the metal doors, Wolf opened up the side compartment and pulled out the bundle of wires. She noted that the black wire that Tiger had cut had been repaired.  
  
"Ready?" Wolf asked the girls. Toadette nodded as she positioned herself and Blaze at the doors that kept them from their freedom. Wolf turned her attention back to the wires and held up three fingers for a countdown. Three, two, one…   
  
Wolf bit down hard on the cluster of wires, splitting them in half. Immediately, the air was filled with the sound of sirens and the familiar red and white lights once again flared. Their was a shout of, "Not again!!!" and the scuffling of boots. And just as Wolf had predicted, the metal doors swung open to reveal a vast, thick forest of trees.  
  
Poison Arrow and Blaze dashed outward into the dense growth of the forest. With one quick glance behind herself, Wolf followed Cat out the doorway, got behind one of the metal doors and pushed it until it closed. Running into the woods, Cat and Wolf met up with Poison Arrow and Blaze, and proceeded to walk through the forest. Wolf new that they were in upstate New York and were headed towards Massachusetts, so she continually hurried the girls along.  
  
After about five and one half hours of winding through the wooded back roads of Massachusetts, the four girls came upon an old country road, scattered with a few Victorian houses. Outside of each house there was at least two flawlessly clean cars parked in a long, paved driveway.  
  
"Looks like a prick settlement." Wolf smirked as she examined the large houses. "I think we need to borrow a car."  
  
"The regular routine?" Cat questioned with a wily smile at Wolf.  
  
"The regular routine." Wolf answered as she bent down to explain their plan to Blaze.  
  
A tall, well dressed man waltzed out of his house and over to his black Jaguar about two minutes after operation: car theft was thoroughly explained amongst the four girls. Cat and Blaze walked up to the man right as he had put the key into the ignition.  
  
"Umm, excuse me, sir…" Cat began in the sweetest voice she could muster, "My little sister, Amy, and I were wondering if we could use your phone. You see, our car broke down a few miles back, and you were the first person we came across. Will you please help us?"  
  
Although looking strangely at the tattered outfit that "Amy" was wearing and the strange suede vest of Cat, the man obliged and, leaving the keys in the ignition, he smiled and approached his house once again, with Cat and "Amy" behind them. Once the man had his back turned, however, Wolf and Toadette dashed forward into the car, With Wolf in the drivers seat. Motioning for Cat and Blaze to get in the car, Wolf slammed the door shut and revved up the engine. Speeding down the driveway and out of the picket gates that surrounded the perfectly kept lawn, the man never noticed that his car had been stolen until he turned around to see it speeding down the country road.  
  
"Isn't this stealing?" Blaze asked after the four girls were miles away from the Victorian neighborhood.  
  
"We like to think of it as borrowing," Wolf answered with a smile, "And besides, it's not like we were stealing it for fun. We need to get to New Hampshire, and I'm sure as hell not walking."  
  
April 14, 7:45 am, Amherst, New Hampshire  
  
"Well, here we are!" Wolf announced gleefully as she abruptly stopped the car. She, Poison Arrow, Cat and Blaze had been driving for about three hours in the black Jaguar through the forests of northern New York to Southen New Hampshire. The four girls had stopped once yesterday to rest for a couple of hours before continuing on their extended journey but were nevertheless exhausted. Not to mention that the once new and beautiful black Jaguar was now covered in mud, scratches, scrapes and dents.   
  
Blaze looked up from her buckled seat in the car and found herself dumbstruck.  
  
An enormous mansion, surrounded by a tall, sturdy, protective brick fence, topped off with wraught iron gates engraved with a capital "C" met her eyes. The mansion itself had to be at least five stories high, with elegant windows and two large oak French doors at the entrance of the house. The lawn was well kept, shining with dew. A gazebo and a couple of benches were professionally placed about the yard, and flowers were blooming in the gardens that lined the edges of the mansion and wall. A paved road led to the front of the house. But the most spectacular thing about the site was in the forest behind the house- a tree. But not just any tree- it was as tall as a sycamore tree, and at least as wide. Blaze continued to stare in awe as she approached the site, led by the other three girls. She looked to her right, and saw that the paved road continued down into a valley, where a small town could be seen just above the trees.   
  
"Welcome, to your new home." Cat whispered to Blaze as the car rolled up to the gates of the mansion.  
  
"The "C" stands for crap." Wolf laughed out loud as her and Toadette exchanges a slap of their palms.   
  
"The "C" stands for Cass, my last name. But we changed it to stand for Chain, the new team name. My parents originally owned the house, but gave it to me when they retired and moved down south. Now its sole purpose is to house the needy, to hold open wide its arms and-"  
  
"Cass rhymes with ass." Tiger's laughter chimed in with Wolf and Toadette's this time.  
  
"STOP RUINING THE MOMENT!" Cat shouted at the rowdy party and proceded to dirve up the paved way leading to the mansion. 


	4. Chapter Three

Two months later  
  
12:03 p.m., Bayville, New York  
  
"MUTANT MENACE MY A-"  
  
"Chill, chick."  
  
Audrey Kay was frustrated. And angry. It was all the Senator's fault. How would he know what it's like to be different? He just doesn't understand.  
  
"I'm getting a… a… a something." Audrey stormed off to the nearest Starbucks Coffee Hut. Alissa Avila followed her, turning around and rolling her eyes at her other two companions, Sara Cass and Lizzy Fiacco. Then she resumed crossing the street after her caffeine-seeking friend.  
  
"Gimme a chocolate milk. Cold." Audrey grunted at the poor old man behind the service counter. "And speed it up." Shaking, the man went out back, poured the girl's milk into a large Styrofoam cup, and brought it out to her.   
  
Storming back across the street, Audrey was followed again by Alissa, who was shaking her head. As she did so, Alissa walked right into someone, and both of them fell to the ground. She stood up sheepishly and was about to apologize to the man who she just knocked down when she looked into his eyes.  
  
His cold, blue eyes.  
  
Alissa bolted. Scrambling past Senator Kevin, she dashed across the street. The two accompanying bodyguards made a frantic chase after her, only to almost be hit head-on by an SUV.   
  
"Ah!" came the sudden cry of Scott Summers, a local mutant of the Bayville community. He also happened to be part of a group of mutants who lived together at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. He slammed on the brakes of the SUV right before her almost hit two men in tuxedos who were mindlessly crossing the street.  
  
"Like, Scott! Watch where you're driving!" scoffed Kitty Pride, another local mutant. Also in the vehicle was Bobby Drake, Jean Grey, Kurt Wagner, and Rogue, who also happened to be mutants as well. After recovering from the shock, the two men continued across the street.  
  
"I wonder where they're going in such a hurry." Jean questioned, as the occupants of the silver SUV watched the men.   
  
"Let's wait and find out." Scott answered as he parked the car alongside the curb.  
  
Sara's quick reflexes readily perceived the fact that they were being chased after, shot up from her chair, and scanned the area around them. 'Ah!" she thought to herself, spotting a convertible yellow taxi that was just about to be boarded by a middle aged man. She ran over, threw the door on the driver's side open, flung the taxi driver out, and shifted the car into "reverse". Stomping on the gas pedal, she screeched to a stop, just as Alissa jumped into the convertible and flung her into the passenger seat.  
  
Lizzy and Audrey shortly followed, Lizzy jumping into the seat behind   
  
Alissa, and Audrey behind Sara. Appalled at her friend's rough behavior, Sara gasped, "Alissa! Do you know how to drive?"  
  
"...." And with that, she shifted the car into "drive", and hit the gas pedal with her foot, causing the taxi to spring forward and speed off down the road. "I do now!"  
  
Audrey called after the confused bodyguards as they reached the table, "Screw coffee, this is great!" She then proceeded in blowing a large raspberry after them.  
  
Back at the café, Senator Kevin ordered his bodyguards into his expensive, leather interior, black limousine. Commanding his personal driver to "follow that taxi", he sat back, and poured himself a glass of expensive wine, toasting himself. It wasn't everyday that you bump into someone who had recently rescued all of your mutant lab rats.  
  
Lowering his newspaper, Eric Lenshire, also known as Magneto, smirked at a nearby van. This van also happened to hold his crew of mutants. Of those mutants were St. John Allerdyce (in the drivers seat), Remy LeBeau (in the passenger seat), Piotr Rasputin and Pietro Maximoff (in the back seats). In the back of the van there was also Clarice Ferguson, Jonothan Starsmore, Fabian Cortez, Fred Dukes, Todd Tolansky, Wanda Maximoff, and Lance Alvers.  
  
"Gun it." Remy said quickly to St. John, who also sped off after the taxi.  
  
'Scott, I want you to follow that taxi,' came the voice of Professor Charles Xavier, mutant and founder of the Institute for Gifted Youngsters.  
  
"We're on it, Professor." Scott responded, as he followed the line of cars that led up to the taxi, not bothering to question the professor.  
  
"Car chase! Car chase!" Lizzy's lungs exploded in a frenzy of shouting as the seventeen year old leaned over the side of the convertible taxi, watching as the limosine, van and SUV frantically followed Alissa's maniac driving.   
  
"Woah, Alissa, maybe you should slow down just a bit?" Sara suggested, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the dashboard.  
  
"What, and spoil your initiation into the world of my driving capabilities? Don't think so!" With that, Alissa hooted and slammed on the gas pedal, causing the car to lurch forward suddenly.  
  
"Oh this is so cool!" Audrey bellowed, placing a lot of emphasis on the word "cool". The three laughed, Sara panicked. That is, until the first stop light came into view.   
  
'Green,' Sara sighed to herself, only to double take as the light turned red. That's when the laughing stopped. Alissa sped the car forward, just in time for the Sabb opposite of her to hit its breaks and curse angrily as she sped on past, through the red light.  
  
"That was nuts!" Audrey cried as she glanced over her shoulder to see that the other three cars that were following them had been stalled at the red light. "Yeah! You like that, you stupid Americans?!" Audrey bellowed after them in a fake French accent, even though she knew that she couldn't be heard by the cars behind them.  
  
Alissa snagged a corner sharply, to once again almost hit a small blue Honda which was turning. The owner of the Honda honked at them.  
  
"We love you too!" Alissa turned and waved in her seat, taking her eyes off of the road.   
  
"Alissa! Watch where you're going!!!!!!" Sara screamed as the car went spinning out of control into the middle of the buisy four-way intersection. Alissa quickly regained control of the car and rammed the gas pedal with her foot, and the car rocketed down the street. Buildings lined the roads, and cars were in all directions. Checking to make sure they still weren't being followed, and they weren't, Sara spoke to Alissa. " Were not being followed, why don't you just park alongside that Kentucky Fried Chicken and we'll just get out and walk away?"  
  
If Alissa had an answer, it was droned out by the sound of police sirens. Lizzy and Audrey swiveled in their seats to confirm their suspicion, and they were correct- three police cars were now hot on their tails, sirens blaring and flashing like mad.  
  
"Or not." Sara murmered as Alissa continued her escape from the following cars.  
  
"So you guys were following them, too?" Scott Summers warily questioned the oranged-haired pyromaniac standing in front of him.  
  
"Got that right, mate. Don' know how, but tha' shelahs seemed to vanish into thin air." St. John Alerdyce responded. The parties of both the van and SUV were parked behind a car ramp that was placed alongside the road for the use of tow-trucks. They did this partially to avoid the senator, who was, at the present time, somewhere else in the city.  
  
Scott's patience was tried. He knew that the girls they were chasing must be mutants, but where the hell were they? He burst out in anger, "That's it! I've had it! If those four don't show up in five seconds, the search is over for us!" He started counting. " Five… four… three… two…" . But his counting was cut short be the sound of a revving engine, and also by the sight of a large convertible taxi flying over their heads after launching itself off of the tow ramp. Music was blasting from the stereo of the taxi, and a quick blurb was caught from it. But that was all they heard, because at that precise moment, the limosine that belonged to Senator Kevin came speeding past them on hot pursuit of the taxi's occupants closely followed by three police cars. The party of mutants gathered at the side of the road scrambled into their vehicles and began their chase once more.  
  
"Alissa?"  
  
No answer. Alissa was playing the music too loud. Sara spoke up.  
  
"Alissa?"  
  
Still no response.  
  
"ALISSA!"  
  
"Yeah?" Alissa answered dumbly as if she was sitting in a field of flowers in July. Which she wasn't.  
  
"Just in case you wanted to know," Sara said in a fake charmed voice, "We are currently being followed by a limosine, three police cars, an SUV, and a van, in that order."  
  
"Shake 'em off?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
" 'K. Hold on."   
  
" Why don't you let me driiiiiaaaaah!!!"  
  
Alissa swerve in a complete "U" turn and shot like a bolt of lightning in the opposite direction.  
  
"Aw, shit, here we go again." St. John exclaimed as he followed Alissa's daring action.  
  
"John, watch your mouth!" Came a sharp command from Clarice, who was thrown to the opposite side of the van as John turned the vehicle around to follow the taxi.  
  
"Maybe you should lemme drive, mon ami." Remy suggested.  
  
"Na' way, mate. You can't handle it."  
  
"Remy can handle a lot more den you know." He sneered.  
  
"John! Stop fighting and stay focused!" Clarice spoke up from the back once again. Remy childishy stuck his tongue out at St. John and then grinned.  
  
'Oi think tha' someone more sane should be drivin'.' Jonothon said telepathically to Clarice, and she giggled.  
  
"Just shut up and follow de carr!" The voice of Fabian Cortez snapped through the van as John sped up.  
  
"Hey, why don' we sing a song, yo? It'll make y'all feel better! I know a song that gets on everybodys nerves, everybody's…"  
  
Lanced huffed and crossed his arms. "Great."   
  
"Va-room!" Alissa stated in a stupified voice as she sped on through the streets, swerving on the wrong side of the road, dodging slower cars, and being completely oblivious to the look of complete terror on the face of Sara. The six cars behind them kept changing position, passing each other from time to time. Finally, the SUV was in the lead, and only a few yards behind the taxi. From inside the vehicle, Scott decided that enough was enough.  
  
"Bobby," the youth perked up at the mention of his name. "I'm gonna get up alongside the taxi, and I want you to freeze the tires. Got that?"  
  
"Yes sir!" Bobby answered back, a slight humorous tone to his voice.  
  
"Rems, I wan' you to pop the tires when oi pull up alongside tha taxi. Got it?" St. John commanded his friend.  
  
"Oui." Was Remy's response.  
  
"This is not being to drastic?" Piotr questioned.  
  
"Naw, you wont feel a thing."  
  
Alissa noticed the steep decline in the pavement as she furiously drove the car onward. She also happened to notice all of the pedestrians fleeing in terror of the rampaging car. Or rather, the rampaging teens in the car.  
  
Slowly, the SUV pulled up to the right side of the taxi, and the back window was rolled down. Meanwhile, the van pulled up on the left side of the taxi, and the passenger side window was rolled down. Remy peered out through the window and spotted Sara and grinned at her. She turned her head away from him, arms crossed and pouting. She was als  
  
"And…NOW!" Scott shouted and Bobby let out a stream of ice as he reached out of the car window.  
  
"And…NOW!" St. John hollered as Remy flicked the playing card from his had at the taxi.  
  
Alissa revved the car, stomped on the brakes and stepped on the gas pedal in three seconds flat. The wheels of the taxi caught fire, causing it to shoot forward like a bullet and literally fly down the sloping road.   
  
"Look ma, no hands!" Alissa cryed and let go of the steering wheel.  
  
"We're still being followed," Lizzy murmered.  
  
"Do it again!" Audrey screamed.  
  
"Holy sh-"  
  
The card and the ice hit each other at the same moment and caused a small, mid-air explosion.  
  
It all seemed to be going quite well for the occupants of the taxi. Alissa glanced behind her in glee and watched as the six cars stopped before going down the slope. Unfortunately, she could have either taken a sharp turn left or a sharp turn right once she arrived at the end of the street, but at the time, her hands didn't seem to want to turn the steering wheel either way. Instead, the taxi collided head-on to a large brick apartment building in front of them.  
  
The occupants of the van, the SUV, the limosine and the six police cars ran down the street to the accident area, where the four girls were escaping from the burning taxi whose air bag was buisy deflating. Sara and Audrey were busy carrying an unconscience Lizzy out of the car. The six accompaning officers pulled out pistols, and pointed them at the girls.  
  
"Well girls," one woman officer began, pointing her gun down and taking out a pair of handcuffs, "what do you got to say for yourselves?"  
  
"Uhh…" said Audrey.  
  
"Ugggh…" moaned Lizzy.  
  
"Uh?" said Alissa looking skeptically at the other two for their mindless answers.  
  
"No one's perfect?" said Sara sheepishly. The girls put their hands in the air.   
  
"Right." The woman said again. "Looks to me like two years in the slammer, not to mention a LOT of volunteer work. Alright boys, pack 'em up."  
  
The mutants standing alongside the scene frowned.  
  
"Shame, ain't it?" Remy stated as he blew a kiss to Sara, who was being handcuffed behid the back. She snarled at him and looked away. The girls all had minor cuts and bruises, Lizzy bleeding from the forehead and Sara limping on her left leg.  
  
"Hold on a second!' Scott stated as he stepped forward. "Can't we talk this over or something?"  
  
"'Fraid not." A second male officer responded. "Strict regulations, you know." He handcuffed Lizzy as another officer did the same to Alissa. The final two officers circled around Audrey smugly.  
  
"What do you think they'll do to this one?" one asked the other.  
  
"Don't know. Prolly somethin' bad."  
  
At this comment, Audrey promptly rolled her eyes. The officers stepped forward to take hold of her, and she proceeded to hurl a large, spit covered lugie at them. They stumbled backwards in disgust, giving Audrey a chance to run. She flew down the street to her left, zigzagging as she went to avoid the bullets shot at her. Sara growled.  
  
"AUDREY, YOU COWARD! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS! GET BACK HERE AND HELP US!" Her voice was droned out as she, Alissa and Lizzy were forced (or placed, in Lizzy's case)into separate police cars and towed to the city jail.  
  
'Scott,' The voice of Professor Xavier ran through Scott's head once again.  
  
"Yeah, Professor?" Scott questioned outloud.  
  
'I would like you to bring Magneto's group and the Brotherhood back to the mansion immediately. There is a very important matter that we would like to discuss with everyone."  
  
"You got it, Professor." Scott proceeded to gather the teams together and drive to the other side of Bayville where he knew the Professor was waiting for them. 


	5. Chapter Four

11:57 p.m.,   
  
The Xavier Institute For Gifted Youngsters  
  
"So you can clearly understand the severity of the situation." Professor Xavier finished his lenghthy explination to his and Magneto's team of mutants. Outside, the rain bucketed down, thundering on the roof top of the Xavier Mansion. It happened to be so that one of the girls they were chasing earlier was the daughter of as old friend of both Xavier and Magneto. Yes, old friends. Lizzy's father, Michael, had infact saved professor Xavier from a car accident, not unlike the one earlier today. He owes his life to Michael, and is eager to repayhim for his kindness.   
  
"What Charles and I have decided to do," Magneto broke into the conversation. "Is combine our efforts to try and stop the mutant persecution that has broke out."  
  
"Is this true, Professor?" Scott spoke up for what all of the mutants in the room were thinking. Together, they had quite a hefty group, numbering up to thirty-two.  
  
"Yes, Scott. Our plan was to relocate all of you to a safer and more remote area until we can sort out this mess." The Professor explained. Scott glared at his rival, Lance Alvers, only to notice that he was glaring back. "Unfortunately, the antics today did not help us whatsoever in trying to portray a friendlier side to "the mutant menace"." All was silent, with the exception of shallow breathing. A clock began to chime somewhere in the mansion. One, two, three… the silence continued as the clock continued its deadened ring. Four, five… quick glances around the room, but that was all. Six, seven, eight, nine. Someone sighed. Ten, eleven… As the clock struck twelve, a loud knock was heard at the front door. Startled, Jean approached the door cautiously, and as she opened it, she viewed a figure in a dark green cloak, soaked with rain.  
  
"Okay listen up!" The figure began to babble uncontrollably as it paced the room before it, soaking the expensive rug and furniture in rainwater. As it did so, its hood flew backwards, revealing the face of Audrey. "I followed the cop cars to the klink and then Alissa and Sara and Lizzy they were handed over to Kevin, right? And I knew where they were going so I came here to ask for help 'cause Lizzy says you owe her," she glared at the professor momentarily before continuing on with her speech, " and so now unless you help me then the others will be probed and crap like that and that just wouldn't be cool and I'm sure that it would make them weirder than they already are but yeah, so whada' ya' say?" This whole shmeal left everyone stunned. Audrey continued to pace the room, waiting for a response from the others. "Yo! Is this an audience or a mosaic? Do you people even breathe?" Finally, Professor Xavier spoke up.  
  
"Of course we will assist you."  
  
"Oh good," Audrey sighed, "I was getting worried that I was talking to myself again. Ha, I kid!" she added as she caught the glimpse of Jean's face.  
  
The black jet belonging to the X-Men was loaded up with all three teams of mutants, with Audrey up front, giving directions to the professor. Anxiety filled the jet as it sped on through the darkened midnight sky. The rain had stopped briefly, but more clouds were visible on the horizon. The flight only took about twenty-five minutes, but the jet was brought mainly for an easy getaway. The dark, dull outline of Kevin's base was becoming more visible as the jet began a noiseless decent from the sky. It landed in a narrow clearing some hundred yards away, and Audrey stood up on the chair she was previously sitting in to give directions to everyone. Her plan was that everyone except the professor would position him or herself around the base and wait until Audrey gave "the signal". Then, they would all charge in and take the base by force.  
  
The teams crowded outside the jet and then immediately dispersed. Audrey crept up to the enormous metal gates to give the signal to the others. Remarkably, the gates were freshly repaired from their last encounter. Her back pressed to the cool metal; she inched up to the door, raised her hand, and then dropped it. This was not the signal, however. She was surprised to find a small, yellow piece of paper with a quick note scribbled on it. She absentmindedly wandered back onto the jet, the others following her until the door closed securely behind them.   
  
Voices flooded the containment hatch until Audrey hushed them and read the note aloud,  
  
Yo Audrey,  
  
Escaped all on our own. See you back at the base. Bring fresh milk.  
  
Love,  
  
Your escapees,  
  
Wolf, Cat, ''' Tiger'''' 


	6. Chapter Five

6:00 a.m., X-Jet  
  
Flying through the early morning sky, the X-Jet was now destined for Amherst, New Hampshire, where Audrey had told them would be the base that was spoken of in the note. The automatic assumption that was made was that Alissa, Sara, Lizzy, and Audrey were the same people as Wolf, Cat, Tiger and Poison Arrow. This statement was indeed correct, as Audrey had told them. However, she had not told them which girl was Alissa, Sara, or Lizzy, and that they would find out for themselves.   
  
The flight to New Hampshire was about an hour, even in the jet, as the professor did not want them to be discovered by the air force if they happened to be speeding. Thus, resulting in over half of the jet's occupants falling asleep. Those who were sleeping were awakened about five minutes or so before landing in the large and well kept front lawn of what Audrey claimed to be "The Chain Mansion". And a mansion it was- it was clearly twice the size of the Xavier Institute and, by the looks of it, fit to accomidate twice the population as well. Also, a large cabin-like building was located behind it, and had a large and clearly visible next to the entrance was an extremely large, and supposedly extremely loud brass gong.  
  
"Yup, this is it!" Audrey stated cheerily as she exited the jet, the others following behind her, most of their mouths gaping. She led them up through the yard which was full of statues and gardens to a large set of marble stairs. A large pair of oak french doors guarded the entrance to the building like soldiers, standing firmly in their path.  
  
"Welcome to The Chain Mansion." Audrey announced as she pushed through the heavy doors and led them into a large entrance hall made of marble. The black and white checkered floors gleamed, and positioned in each corner of the square room was a large white pillar. Directly in front of them was an enormous carved wooden staircase that branched off into two directions, both leading upward. They also noticed a living room that branched off to the left, as well as a hallway to the right.   
  
"Welcome." A voice greeted them. It was warm and trustworthy, the voice of someone who would invite you into their house and give you hot chocolate. All heads turned towards the voice, and some recognized the owner to be Sara- the same Sara that was in the taxi earlier that day. She smiled warmly and had changed out the clothes that she had been wearing earlier. Now she wore a cream colored t-shirt and tan overalls. Her hair was left down, framing her face, which was beaming. Dark red highlights were now noticed in her dark hair under the dim light of the hall. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sara Cass. I also go by Cat."  
  
"And I-" A second voice cut in, belonging to Lizzy. She too was beaming and had changed into a pair of white sweat pants and a lime green t-shirt. "Am Lizzy Fiacco, or Tiger." She concluded. She did look pleased to see them, but not so much as Sara did.  
  
"And I'm Audrey Kay or Poison Arrow. She may be misleading, mes amis but that girl right there," Audrey indicated Lizzy, " Is actually a Russian communist." There came a grumble from the audience, and Audrey quickly added, "No offense to any Russians out there."  
  
John grinned and nudged Piotr in the ribs, earning himself another grumble.  
  
Sara picked up the conversation from here as Audrey ventured up the stair case, probably to change out of her wet, sweaty outfit.   
  
"We realize that you all are experiencing a lot of prejudiceness from those who call themselves normal." A small murmur of agreement ventured through the crowd of mutants. The adults of the group- the professor, Magneto, Ororo Munroe, Hank McCoy, and Logan (all except Magneto belonging to the X-Men group)- stood aside and stared curiously at Sara. "So," she continued, "we, The Chain members, have decided that if you would like to reside her for the time being, do so." Silence followed the short speech, until a young boy from the crowd posed a question.   
  
Jamie Madrox asked, " But wouldn't we get persecuted here too?"  
  
"A good question," Sara commented, "But no. See, when we first sought refuge here, the town did not accept us. One day, a speech was given by Alissa- you'll meet her later- and it was enough to convince them that we were in fact equal."  
  
Lizzy abruptly cleared her throat.  
  
"Oh, yeah. And Lizzy here wrote it." Sara commented. Lizzy seemed to glow with pride.  
  
"Well now, this is perfect!" The professor chimed in to the conversation. "We accept your offer."  
  
Sara and Lizzy exchanged excited glances.  
  
"Great!" Lizzy took over the conversation now. "I guess you need a tour of the house! And you need your rooms, and oh! Breakfast is probably in order, and then-"  
  
"I propose," Magneto began, "That you show them to their rooms, first.It has been a long and stressful journey."  
  
"Yeah, okay… wait! What do you mean by "them"? Aren't you guys staying?" Lizzy indicated towards the adults.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not. We have important business to carry out back in Bayville." The professor explained. "In fact, we must be leaving as soon as possible." Sara and Lizzy exchanged glances towards eachother before Sara suggested, "Maybe you could stay for breakfast?".  
  
Bobby leaned over and whispered to his friend Sam Guthrie, "It's a bit weird how they're just kinda' leaving us with these people." Sam nodded his agreement as Lizzy and Sara returned to the front of the group.  
  
Sara asked the group of mutants before her to partner up with a new roommate. She then broke the team up into two groups, and lead them off into different directions up the staircase, one group following her and one following Lizzy. 


End file.
